The greenery hit his eyes and nose when he stepped into the house. There was the sight of green and the smell of pine everywhere you turned. Ruth had been anxiously waiting for him and pulled him over to the fireplace where he could warm up. She took his gloves off and put his ice-cold hands between her warm ones.

"You didn't tell me he asked you to marry him," Kid said irritably.

"You didn't ask and what does it change? So that's where you went, huh? What were you doing at Mark's?"

"Making sure he wasn't the one who set the fire. Unless you think your boyfriend is incapable of doing wrong?"

She smiled, which only irritated him further. "No, but I could have saved you some time. Mark ain't home. If you hadn't been busy stewing, he mentioned over dinner that he was going to help some friends of ours who just got married finish getting their fences up. They're having a tough time managing it, I imagine. The ground's probably frozen solid."

"Good, old St. Mark seems to like lending helping hands, don't he?"

"He's always been the helpful sort," she agreed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Me? I seem to be drawn to the disagreeable, muley sort."

She managed to coax a smile out of him and he slipped his hands around her waist, feeling warmer already.

They were so absorbed in each other, they barely noticed as Clyde, his nose ruby red from being outside, shook his head and reluctantly joined them to take advantage of the fire. "Must you two always be clutching or pawing at each other?" he grumbled.

"We must," Ruth answered with a chuckle but let go and moved over so Clyde and Kid could take full advantage of the heat.

"I almost wish someone would set another fire, at least we would be warm. I can't feel my toes," Clyde complained as he stamped his feet to return feeling to them. "I swear the temperature's dropped since I've been outside. Whoever the barnburner is, he apparently has the brains to be inside somewhere where it's warm."

sss

They woke up Christmas Eve morning to a world of white. Kid wished it had come a couple of days ago. Then there would have been footprints. Ruth was standing at the window in her nightclothes, taking in the breathtaking winter scene.

She heard his rustling. "Beautiful, ain't it? 'Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.'"

He smiled as he nestled in behind her. Ruth had a verse for every occasion and he loved it. It seemed to offer him renewal just when he needed it. There was power in the Word, life. "God does paint a nice picture. Kind of crazy though. Just a couple of days ago, it was so warm, I thought spring was around the corner."

"Spring did come early last year. Killed the fruit trees cause they bloomed for the false spring, but there was a blessing in it too. Made for good traveling; I was able to get an early start." She looked up at him; her eyes sparkling with mischief and excitement. "You want to go sledding?"

"Sledding? I don't know. Skating maybe."

"The pond ain't froze over good and solid yet. Don't tell me you ain't never been sledding?" she asked in disbelief when she saw the hesitation in his expression. "Don't it snow in the Arkansas territory?"

"It snows, but my part of the territory is as flat as a pancake. No hills and it ain't much fun pulling your sister or brother through the snow," he said, sounding as if he spoke from experience.

"Well, we got to remedy that right away." She said going over to her clothes and warned, "Bundle up good."

They weren't the only ones who had made snow plans when they got outside. They were just in time to see Anna getting ready to get in an attractive sleigh with a harness covered in gleaming bells where her suitor sat waiting. The young man didn't come out to greet the family; he didn't even acknowledge them with a wave. Kid didn't know how he was getting by with that, considering James protected his girls like a vigilant, half crazy rooster.

Anna saw him and Ruth all bundled up. "Where ya'll going?"

"Sledding," she said, moving to the side, so she could see the sled she pulled behind her that Clyde had let them borrow. "You and your beau want to come with us?" she offered.

"Sledding?" Anna repeated with a wrinkled nose. "Sledding's for kids."

Ruth couldn't help but dissolve into a fit of giggles at the patronizing way she'd said it and Kid cracked a smile too.

Anna rolled her eyes. "You two really are children. You both deserve each other," she said before flouncing off for her sleigh ride.

"Oh well, her loss, I guess." Ruth said after the tingling sound of the bells filled the air. "I get more and more worried about that girl, but I reckon she'll outgrow her worry over what others think. That's what Laura seems to think anyhow."

"She's probably right. Why did we come down here instead of using the hill your parents' house sits on?"

"Can't be too careful what hill you choose. It can be a dangerous sport. I know of a girl that got killed sledding."

"Is that your way of enticing me into it? Despite my former profession, I don't enjoy brushes with death."

"The hill she went down was too long and steep; she picked up too much speed. We go down an itty bitty hill like the one over there, we'll be fine."

He followed her over to the hill that didn't look so itty bitty to him.

"Now you sit on it," she instructed. He did and she added, "I'll be able to steer us better if I sit in the front."

He scooted back and spread his legs apart to make room for her and she sat down between them. He wrapped his arms around her, so his hands wouldn't be flailing while she took the rope in her hands.

"I like it already," he whispered playfully in her ear.

"You ready?"

"You sure this is safe? Are 2 adults supposed to be on this thing?"

She answered by leaning forward to begin their descent downhill. It was a speedy but easy flight until the sled hit a stone near the bottom. It hadn't been visible with the wintery covering. The impact made the sled shoot upward, sending them tumbling into the powdery snow.

"Having fun yet?" she asked with a laugh from her new position on top of him.

"I am now. If this is for kids, I don't want to ever grow up," Kid said with a grin as he pulled her closer, barely feeling the cold snow under him.

She gave him a quick peck before running back up the hill with the sled in tow. He got up merrily and chased her, enjoying the game and glad Anna had turned them down. They sledded without further mishap but with lots of stolen kisses until they got too cold to sled anymore.